FOX Fort Wayne has learned that shoplifting is down significantly in Fort Wayne this holiday season compared to last year. This comes despite high unemployment and a tough economy.
Shoplifting has received a lot of attention lately as local police searched for a serial shoplifter in Allen County. Officers say Clinton Bunch, 46, would simply grab items off store shelves and walk out. Bunch was arrested after his picture was broadcast on FOX Fort Wayne.
But despite this publicized case, shoplifting in Fort Wayne is actually down this holiday season more than 40 percent. From the day after Thanksgiving until Thursday, Fort Wayne Police have responded to 45 shoplifting cases. But for the same time period in 2009, that number was 78.
This year's total is also down slightly from 2008 when police responded to 50 shoplifting cases during the first few days of the holiday season.
Shane Carroll, owner of STS Security in Fort Wayne, says he attributes the decrease to increased security as well as store owners taking a more proactive approach to combating shoplifting.
For more information about shoplifting, visit http://www.shopliftingprevention.org/TheIssue.htm.
